extension cord. that's it for "news4 today". we'll be back in 25 minutes. join us at 9:00 for aull hour and a half of news. until then have a good one. good morning. ending the ban. senators are set to cast an historic vote today on whether toepeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays serving in the military. wel get the latest from washington. faces of fear. 180 photogrhs of women taken from the home of a suspected serial killer are made public. could they be victims of the grim sleeper? and the diana effect. from the ring to the photos to setting up house. how are the enduring legacy of the late princess is shang the highly anticipated royal wedding "today," saturday, december highly anticipated royal wedding "today," saturday, december 18th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday, i'm lester holt. >> and i'm amy robach. it is exactly one week until christmas. all your shopping done? >> you know, i don't even know. no. >> that means no. >> no. i am in chill mode this christmas. >> really? >> i'm not getting stressed about anything. i think i've got it done. i've got a week. i'm good. if you don't get something it's because m in chill-out mode. >> you're going to rub off on me. >> okay. just be calm. we've got a lot to talk about. there's no holiday in washington today. but it's going to be a very busy day there. perhaps an unprecedented one. senators are expected to take a critical vote on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. they're also going to take up the s.t.a.r.t. nuclear treaty. this all comes a day after president obama signed the tax deal into law. a lot going on. we're going to get a live report from the white house in just a moment. >> and then we're going to talk about the search for a suspected serial killer. the bodies of four women were und on a sandy beach in new

york earlier this week. authorities are desperately trying to identify those remains and fear that theyll may have been murdered by the same person. we'll have much more on this developing story. >> we're also following the newest revelations involving casey anthony. as we know, she's thelorida mom who is accused of killing her young daughter caylee. this morning prosecutors have released new documents and some punctures from the case. coming up we'll get a look at never before seen jailhouse letter es written by casey herself. and then we're going to switch gears to the man known as the flying dutchman. andre reiullet is a global superstar and making classical music sexy, entertaining and managing to sell out concert halls around the world. if you're n a fan yet, you may be after our revealing look. >> dancing in the aisles. always a good thing. first t's talk about that big voteo repeal the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. nbc's mike viqueira is joining us now from the white house with more. mike, good morning. >> reporte good morning, lester. well, like last-minute shoppers the president and congress have

their eye on a lot of big ticket items in the waning days of december. and today, supporters of repeal ofhat military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy are hoping for a christmas week miracle. for president obama, a much-needed and hard-fought victory. >> here we go. >> reporter: signing tax cuts for all americans into law. after a battle won with the help of republicans. >> there are some elements of this legislation that i don't like. there's some elements that members of my party don't like. there's some elements that republicans here today don't like. that's the naturef compromise. >> reporter: but even with christmas fast approaching, today mr. obama is pressing for more cooperation from republicans on another top priority. the s.t.a.r.t. arms reduction treaty with russia. >> it's time to get this done. it's time to show the same spirit of common purpose on our security that we showed this week on our economy.

it's time to remember the old saying that politics stops at the water's edge. >> this treatsy imposes a legally binding limitation on u.s. missile defenses. >> reporter: senate debate on s.t.a.r.t. continues today. but there are yet more key votes this weekend. repealing "don't ask, don't tell," the ban on gays openly serving in the military. many believe there i new life for the measure, which just days ago was left for dead. >> for now i'm confident that we've got more than 60 votes. >> what do we want? >> reporter: less certain is the dream act, offering a pass to citizenship for children brought illegally to this country by their parents. provided they either serven the military, or further their education. but that measure may not survive today's senate vote. the president was scheduled to leave today for his boyhood home of hawaii but has delayed his family vacation while the senate acts. >> more rapid than eagles, their courses they came and whistled and shouted and called them by

name. now dasher -- >> reporter: friday the president read t a group of virginia second graders where one student shared what she had in common with the president's eldest daughter. >> your name's malia, too? give me a high five for that. >> reporter: and more on that repeal vote of "don't ask, don't tell" later today in the senate. supporters are banking all of their hopes on this vote today. if it does not pass with democratic majorities in the house and large democratic majorities in the senate, it's not likely to pass any time soon, months or perhaps even years once republicans have a majority in the house come january. amy? >> all right. mike viqueira, thanks so much. joining us for more on today's senate vote is cnbc chief washington correspondent john harwood. good morning. >> good morning, amy. >> let's begin with the big news story in washington, of course, "don't ask, don't tell." if it's repealed, obviously this will be an historic moment. but perhaps even me importantly, does this show tha republicans and democrats can compromise and can actually work

together? >> absolutely. and we saw tha on the tax cut deal. i think the white house is hoping that that is a credibility-building event with the american people, and also with republicans. you had a difficult deal struck, and republicans held their members, and you got a significant chunk of democrats on "don't ask, don't tell," this is a case where you're only going to get a minority of republicans, a small minority, supporting this. but it does appear, as joe lieberman suggested in mike viqueira's piece, that they do have enough to get over the bar. and when you think about how difficult, amy, 2010 was for president obama in many respects, the month since the election has gone pretty wel for him. >> right. and speaking to that, the tax deal, both republicans and president obama are claiming victory on that. if you tack a look at our latest poll, 59% of voters approve of the deal in an unusual moment in washington, is everyone a winner with this one? >> i do think that is the case. you saw in that "journal"/nbc

poll that 60% said it was a fair compromise from both sides. and when you ask people did president obama cave in too much? did republican leaders cave in too much? you get some people saying yes but the vast majority say no. that is the definition of a successful political outcome. and republicans can go to their base and say, look, since the election we've now won an agreement by this white house to extend all of the bush tax rates for two years. from a democratic point o view they can say we've solidied the middle-class tax cuts and also added this payroll tax cut which is going to give every american a shot in tir paycheck which they hope will provide some stimulus for the economy, which desperately needs it. >> so we're seeing all of this compromise. but let's look forward. do you thi these experiences will have a positive effect on the gop presidential relationship, even when the gop takes over the house? >> yes,it have positive effect. but there are limits to that. they're going to fight. there's no doubt about it, in 2011 and 2012.

and to some degree, the white house looks at this as giving them some space to draw lines around their priorities. having given on taxes, and the whole country has seen that the president cooperated with republican on taxes, you can expect to see in the president's state of the union address, and his budget, he's going to draw some lines around things like education and energy and say, look, they're important thing that we have to do to move the country forward. yes, we can cut spending. we need to cut spending. but we're not going t cut in some of the areas that i nsider vital. that's some of the places where you're going to see some fights yet. >> and yet republicans are threatening to pull their support for s.t.a.r.t. the president has made that a very important part of his presidency. the republicans say that the treaty needs more discussion time. what's really at work here? >> well, they don't want to give this president a victory. and there are some people who have substantive objections to the treaty, but when i talk to republican leaders and republican sta members, it does appear that they, in the end, the president is going to get this treaty.

again, when you think about the product of this lame duck session, it's turning out to be remarkably productive. if the president can get that before christmas, and the senate leadership aides that i talk to expect that to happen tuesday or wednesday, the president can go to hawaii in a pretty good mood. >> all right. that's always a good thi. john, thank you. and now here's leer. >> all right, amy, thanks. now to holiday travel. this is one of the busiest weeks of the year. but will the weather interfere with your pls? nbc's kevin tibbles ist chicago's busy o'hare airport. kevin, good morning. >> lester, busy, indeed. i'm actually quite surprised how manyeople are here this early on this saturday morning, considering we've still got a week to go. but as you just mentioned this is going to be the busiest travel week of the year. and this year, like santa claus, everything is up, up, up, and we're talking about air travel up some 3%, car travel up 2.8%. spending is expected to be up 3% this year, as well.

so, don't be surprised, lester, should you be going to the airport this year, that youind that you've got a lot of company. and not only here in the terminal building, but also on the planes themselves. the aaa is tling us that you can expect to have seatmatesn all of your flights, because most of the flights this year are going to be traveling full. >> and they're going to be traveling full and then you throw in a couple of major weathe systems we've been watching. how might that affect, what is it 92 million people expected to fly? >> very, very scary. and think a lot of the people are watching wt is going on on the east coast, where you are right now, as to whether or not this storm that's slowly movg along is actually going to be hitting into the heavily populated northeast area of the united states, and i must also say to you, on a personal note, lester, i'm hoping one college kid is going to be able to make it out here to chicago from that very part of the world over this weekend. so let's hope the snowflakes stay a little bitoffshore. >> let's hope so. i got mine home last week. hope he makes it. kevin, thanks very much.

now, let's go to norah o'donnell at the news desk for more of today's top stories. >> good morning, everyone. we begin overseas where tensions are running high on theorean peninsula. bad weather may delay south korea's plans to hold an artillery exercise on the same island where north korean elling killed four people last month. the north is threatening retaliation if the drill takes place. russia and china are urging south korea to cansicethe exerci. amanda knox is back in court and expected to hear a key decision in her appeals case. the italian court will announce whether they willllow a full, independent review of the forensic evidence that led to her conviction. knox and her italian ex-boyfriend are serving a prison sentence for their convictions in the sexual assault and killing of her british roommate. a wintry mess is causing chaos across the pond. you are now looking at some live pictures of buckingham palace. look at that. snowing there. it's much worse in western britain, northern ireland and scotland, where they are dealing

with blizzards. hundreds of departing flights have been canceled out of ndon's airports. numerous motorists were also sfranded stranded on the icy roads. ll, wikileaks founder julian assange is free o bail he is threat being another document dump next week, involving a major bank, widely thought to be bank of america. on friday the bank said they will join other financial institutions and not process payments to wikileaks. assange is fighting extradition to sweden, where he is wanted on alleged sexual crimes. now we've got several car recalls to tell you about this morning. general motors is recalling about 100,000 of the cadillac srx, the chevy equinox, a the gmc terrain. all 2011 models. the problem is the seat belts could fail in a crash. and honda is recalli

good saturday morning. i'm news 4 meteorogist chuck bell. plenty much cloud court of there this morning. temperatures are mostly in the 20s. there are plenty ever teens on the map. 17 in southern prince george county. 15i7b charles county, maryland. 18 in quantity corks virginia. 28 degrees in winchester. 25 down. there are some light snow showers andnow flurries out there. most of them not reaching the ground. a passing snowflake today can't be rud out. temperatures staying that's a look at your weekend forecast. >> all right, bill, thanks. arly 100,000 u.s. troops

are spending the holidays on the frt lines in afghanistan. i traveled to the war zone last month and this morning i want to show you a very different side of the country. it's about a tv show there that's watched by millions of afghans. the series may have been inspired by one here at home. and as you'll see, the themes reflect what life is like over there. it may be the last place you'd expect art to imitate life kabul, where insurgent attacks remain a constant threat. and yet that real-lif drama, suicide bombers and all, has made for a hit tv series in afghanistan. the actors may not look familiar to american viers but the plot lines may remind you of, say -- >> i don't know his name. he's russian or something. >> not goodenough. >> i think you think of "24." >> reporter: like it's american counterpart the show is about an elite police unit tracking down terrorists and kidnappers. and yes, here, too, the good guys always prevail. do you have an afghan jack bauer on the show? >> yes, we do.

he's got a very big mustache. >> reporter: they don't ever use the word taliban on "eagle 4." just insurgents. who,y the way, on the show at least can be repentant. "eagle 4" is not just entertainment, it is a show with a message. one being sent not only to the people of afghanistan, but to the police. the u.s. government is helping fund the series, which according to producer trudy tearny, is meant to depict afghan police as trustworthy and above reproach. neither of which is how they're seen in real life. >> they're not greatly respected in this country. and so it's just to promote the police force, give them a good, honest, secure face, and to allow people to gain respect for them. >> reporter: in fact, "eagle 4" may be raising the bar uncomfortably high for some. >> one of the actors in the series has been the local policeman were saying just stop the series. you guys are too good. you're making us look really

bad. >> reporter: sean lynch directs the shooting on the streets of kabul. look how challenging it is for you and i to do an interview. how do you shoot, the traffic and the crowds and the potholes? >> i know, it's like guerrilla filmmaking at its best. wherever you want to shoot from, right there, and you just shoot fast. >> reporter: but the australian-led production team has lened that not everything goes here. >> they love action here. you can't show a woman's arm, all of that. gun fighting and violence, those are a hit. >> reporter: but the real big interesting thing there is you have pple out with guns and it's led to real misunderstandings. even though they're shooting a tv show. >> people might think it is something going on when they're filming a tv show. >> reporter: they don't do permits like you would here on the streets of new york and l.a. they just go out and shoot. but it's really, really popular. they watch "24," by the way, there, too. >> they have jack bauer. >> and kamron was his name. we're going to take a break. first, this is "today" on nbc.

when my husbandot sick and couldn't work anyre,

it was up to me to support our family. [ male announcer ] karri danner went back to school, to becoma nurse. my educati made all the difference... [ male announcer ] but now se in washington want regulations restricting access to career colleges and universities, denying opportunity to millions of people ke karri, letting government decide who can go to college. it's my education, and my job, it should be my choice.

[ male announcer ] don't let washington get in the way. this morning, a story tailor-made for the holidays. a man known for being frugal had a surprise in store for everyone in his grateful community. boyd hoop ert from our minneapolis affiliate kare-tv has more. >> reporter: there are people in big cities who wouldonsider this harsh, unwelcoming country. people who wouldn't give a nickel to live in leroy, minnesota. who wouldn't pay the quarter they charge for coffee at the leroy senior citizen center. >> and if they take a cookie, that's another arter. >> reporter: people who need to pull up a chair and listen. >> my god we never had this kind of money. >> reporter: as eileen evans tells the story of small-town values and a check. >> we didn't know what to do. $20,000. >> reporter: the envelope arrived from the estate of

94-year-old lawrence rupert. a retired farmer who had seen his share of sadness. having lost his first wife. then his second. having last his only child, a teenage son, to cancer. but long before he passed away last year, lawrence gained a reputation. >> very frugal. >> he was very careful with his money. >> reporter: apparently so. for as he humbly lived out his days in this white frame house, lawrence quietly amassed -- >> he held onto it for awhile. >> reporter: a fortune. >> i said let me see it. i've never seen a check like that before. >> reporter: that fst $20,000 check was followed by twomore. $100,000 each. >> i said my god, look at this. look at this. >> reporter: up to then, the seniors had been getting by on what the couy gave their center. $600 a year. >> oh, well we got it there.

it's $220,000 total. >> reporter: and lawrence wasn't done. >> he loved his church. >> reporter: lawrence willed roughly $1 million to st. patrick's catholic church. >> been there for many, many, many years. >> reporter: then he revealed an ecumenical streak. >> he was very blessed. >> reporter: when he lefthe presbyterians more than $400,000 too. >> we're looking at the new seal we put on our church thas to lawrence. >> reporter: checks for the same amount were delivered to bethany bible church and to the ruth rans, who've already used some of lawrence's gift to repair their bell tower. >> we were notified through an attorney. >> reporter: that old pumper truck -- plans are to replace it with a new one. thanks to the $220,000 he left the fire department. >> this is our -- >> reporter: another $220,000 allowed the ambulance svice to build an apartment. >> we have to get another bed in here yet. >> reporter: for oncall emts. >> nobody, you know.

>> reporter: all told lawrence spread some $3 million. around a town of 925 people. ♪ let it snow but to suggest the giving ended in a $3 million flurry is to show you have a little more to learn about leroy. the churchesere all aware the towns assisted living center needed a new kitchen. >> the stove will go here. >> reporte so together they're sharing some of the money lauren give them to build one. >> it's just the type of community we live in. >> reporter: the seniors wrote a check for the new school play ground, and were joined by the luthans in paying for improvements at the community pool. >> makes you feel good. >> reporter: good. the way the seniors felt when they wrote a $10,000 check to grace christian church. >> we thank you for your generous gift. >> reporter: which had the misfortune of being the only chur in leroy founded after loren had made out his will. >> why not give it away? we didn' have it before.

so why not help oer people with it. >> reporter: frugal was the word pinned on loren kruger in life. generous is the way he'll be remembered. >> it's astouing what he did. >> reporter: there are still people who wouldn't give a nickel to live in leroy. but folks around here prefer to put their faith in the kind of person who would give everything. kare-11 news, leroy. >> if that doesn't put new the christmas spirit, i don't know wh will. >> that's quite a legacy. makes you feelarm all over as you're looking at those cold pictu pictures. >> minnesota nights. i like that. still to ce here on "today," diana's touch. how the late princess is influencing her son's wedding. >> plus the flying dutchman. we're going to meet theaster

maestro who is taking the classical music world by storm.

good morning. 7:26 on this saturday, december 18, 2010. i'm aaron gichrist. in the news for today, alexania police have not said if a driver will face charges after hitting and killing a woman. the accident happened just bere 6:00 last night just outside the king street metro station. the woman was running across the bus lot when a hotel shuttle van hit her. the driver stayed on the scene and wasuestioned by authorities. other metro customers say that parking lot at that king street station can be difficult to cross. the victim was a 25-year-old woman from maryland. detectives near frederick, maryland are trying to figure out how a man gotrapped in a rock crusher and died.

chopper 4 was over the scene. investigators say around 8:00 last night the workeras using the rock crushing machine and ot stuck. the victim's identity has not been released. don't expect to see donovan mcnabb on the field tomorrow against dallas. mike shanahan has benched the pro bowler in favor of rex grossman. shanahan has said he won't guantee mcnabb will be back in washington next year. we'll take a ok at the weather [ female announcer ] safeway talks made-for-you meals. when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i n't know. fishing. fishing?! i, uh, i said wishing. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. ♪ ♪ you can find your feet and you can find your way ♪ ♪ you can fd yourself in bed at the end of the day ♪ ♪ you can find some fun on a tropical isthmus ♪ ♪but you'll never find my...

♪ you can find in your heart to be patient with me ♪ ♪ you can find a new star for the top of the tree ♪ ♪ i don't mean to be coy ani don't mean to be vicious ♪ ♪ but you'll never find my christmas ♪ mmm. you smell that? yeah, wait. what is that? love. smells like ham. [ fema announcer ] serve a main course brimming with comfort and joy. safeway. ingredients for life.

welcome back. chuck bell is in storm center 4 now with a look at our forecast. >> god saturday morning, everybody. after a cold week, believe it or not it's going to stay cold all weekend. clouds are already moving back in. mit get a sliver or two of sunshine on front half of the day. mostly cloudy skies expected for remainder of today and tonight. get you started temperatures are ithe teens and 20s this morning. teensacross much of northern virginia, mid-20s around town, and a lot of ite on the radar but most of that not reaching the ground but nonetheless it's an opportunity for a passing snowflake or a snow shower. for the most part not expecting to get anything more than to whitened the ground. for tomorrow starting off with clouds and endin with a little sunshine late tomorrow afternoon

but staying on the cold side. >> thank you, chuck. another local news and weather update four in 25 minutes sore. for now back to new york and more of the "the today show". mo. it is exact one week until christmas and we hope everyone on the plaza has started their shopping before today. back inside, studio 1a i'm amy robach along with leste ho. and coming up this half hour, casey anthony is back in the news. >> the 24-year-old mother stands trial acced of murdering her daughter caylee. w evidence has just been released in the case. we're going to tell you about some of the details from letters she's written to what she would like to do once reased from prison. >> then, the diana effect. she was the people's princess, and of course, prince william's mother. 13 years now, after her death, she is sll a force in his life. coming up we'll take a look at

how diana still remains a guiding hand, including in his future with kate middleton. >> then his name i andre roux and he's one of the bigst music stars in the world. coming up we'll introduce you to the conductor who brings a new twist to classical music and has his audiences dancing in the aies. >> got to love that. we begin on a much more serious note with the hunt for a serial killer who may have turned one sandy new york beach into a rtual dumping ground for his victims. he's nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: it is a crime that has police in long island, new york, baffled. and residents very concerned. during a training exercise last saturday, police discover a female body in the brush by the side of a road along a sandy beach. but that was just the beginning. days later they found a second set of human remains. >> we started going eastbound, and we found the second -- the third body, and then ultimately the fourth body. all within about 500 feet of each oth.

>> reporter: four decomposed bodies. hidden there for perhaps as long as 18 months, police sa and possibly by the same serial killer. evoking memories of the case of joel rifkin, a long island reside convicted of killing at least nine women in new york in thearly 1990s. while scores of officers and dogs searched a ten-mile stretch of highway, police tried to calm the public. >> i don't want anybody to think that we have a jack the ripper running around suffolk county with blood dripping from a knife. >> reporter: police believe e victims could be female prostitutes. like a woman last seen running from a client's home in may, desperate for help, but forensic tests did not show a match. another possible victim, investigators say, is this woman, missing since june. her mother gave police a dna sample. >> we just want people to just keep pying and praying and praying that the dna comes back that it's not megan. >> reporter: federal investigators have proded access to a national data base of missing persons.

police departments across the country have sent information about open cases. as the search continues, police say it may take weeks to identify the victims. and even longer to find their killer. for "today," ron allen, nbc news, new york. authorities are now looking for that one clue that will lead them to the psycho path. and with us now is nbc analyst and former fbi criminal profiler clint van zandt. clint, good morning. >> hi, amy, determine. >> i want to start with the statements that the police commissioner's said and it was interesting, because he said, hey, we don't have a jack the ripper out there running around the country with blood dripping from a knife. but actually that is kind of what it seems like. he says this is an anomaly. what do you make of it? >> well, if i was a local citin, just that comment would scare the heck out of me. when you visualize that. one of the things we have to realize is right now we don't know the cause of death. we know there were four women who died under unknown circumstances, all four bodies were found wrapped in burlap, so

it suggests the same person or persons probably dumped the bodies along the way. t, we don't know the cause of ath right now. so you know, to suggest a serial killer, that's speculation, but it's the job of the police and the fbi, not to speculate, but to investigate. >> how concerned should the neighboring communities be right now? >> well, there doesn't seem to be, as the police commissioner suggested, somebody going door-to-door killing people right now. but there are four dead women, and somehothat has to be explained. but, you know, it could be something such as they died of drug overdoses, and wherever they got their drugs, those individuals who supplied them then dumped the bodies. so you know, there may be a form of murder by giving somebody too much drug. bu we don't know that these were all homicides yet. and that's what police are trying to do, number one, find out what these women he in

common. and as important, who they have in common, and how they died. >> to that point, because there is so little forensic evidence because police believe these bodies may have been there for as long as two years. that almost seems impossible. how would that be? >> yeah, it does. i mean, if you and i, amy, are out walking along that stretch of beach, you would think that either people cutting through would have run into the bodies wrapped in burlap, that dogs or ts or somebody, or animal activity. it's almost hard to believe that the bodies were there that long. so the question is, i think the police are probably right, these victims died somewhere else, but when were the bodies dropped? how did we miss the bodies so long? and again, at this point, with the decomposition, they're really going to be challenged trying to identify these four women. >> i know that the fbi has joined thiinvestigation. what more can we expect? i knowhat they were srching for more potential victims at one point, as well. >> yeah, i think here's where yaur going to see the real csi come in. what they're probably going to do is use forensic artists,

forensic sculptures, who are going to put to the a three dimensional picture, so to speak,f what these victims looked like, and hold those pictures up to the public and say, do you recognize this woman? you know who i . you know, initially, they thought it might have been one of two different women, alleged prostitutes who had disappeared. if those t leads, one of which alady ha washed out, if the second one turns out not to be true, now they have to match missing person records of which there is 100,000 active cases in the united states right now, against the victim. amy, if that comes out that there's no match, we've got four women that are dead under unknown circumstances that may or may not ever be identified. >> all right, clint van zandt. thanks so much. we appreciate it. >> thank you, amy. and now let's get a check of the weather with bill karins. bill? >> thanks, amy. this is one of the shortest days of the year. we're getting towards tha

good saturday morning. i'm "news4 today" meteorologist chuck bell. we're off to a cloudy and cold start. a little bit of sunshine this morning. it won't last much longer. clouds will thicken through the course of the day. mid-20s. plenty of spots across norther virginia down in the mid-teens, much much suburban maryland in the mid-20s. snowflakes are out there. most not reaching the ground but still passing flurry can't be ruleout. stay cold all

>> now i lived up in maine, so i actually know where this is. beautiful area up there, especially in the fall. welcome out here on the plaza. send it back inside to amy. >> all right, bill, thank you. coming up on "today," meet the maestro who's making classical music very cool. >> then we're going to talk about staying fit in the new year. celebrity fitness trainer jackie rner shows us how. hey, you made your own lunch. yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, madeou something. (announcer) it's more than just at great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. at waart's toys and more event! with black friday prices on the gifts they want most. like these men's sherpa hoodies for just $15 each.

and this better homes and gardens porcelain cookware set for $99 -- plus a $30 gift card. starting 9 p.m. this friday at walmart. for $99 -- plus a $30 gift card. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeahit happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. ♪ it's tt chocolate ♪ it's that whipped cream ♪ it's that caramel, and espresso you mix in ♪ [ male announcer ] your two favorite flavors together. new mccafé caramel mocha. ♪

dieting is onef the most common new year's resolutions, and also among the toughest to keep. but if you're hoping to lose weight, cut down or get in shape in the new year, we have the tipso help. fitness expert jackie warner is the host of "the intervention" on bravo. her latest fitness dvd is called crunch free extreme abs. good morning, gat to see you. >> good morning. >> why do so many of us lose the battle against weight in terms of the resolution, the will to lose weight? >> they set unrealistic goals. so if you've got a 50-pound

weight loss goal in two months, that's unrealistic. you can't -- apply biggest loser to your own lifestyle when you're not training for six hours a day on a 1200 calorie a day diet. number one. number two, if youuy books or get into fitness routines that over-complicate, you're setting yourself up for failure big-time. you have to simplify, simplify, simplify. >> let's talk about some of the tips you brought along. one is to get in touch, find your inner athlete. what do you mean by that? >> i said that many times on my show. find your inner waior. what you really need to do is you need to set a goal that's not just about weight loss, but athletic goals. whether it be timed push-ups, timed squats or running up that hill and timing yourself and changing and speeding up that time every week. >> the weight loss will flow from that? >> absolutely. but definitely set an athletic goal. >> you also talk about training for a cause. so again, this falls in mind with being very specific. >> i love that. trning for a 10-k or an age

run or any kind of charitable cause. you get a built-in support system that wa too, and it feels good for the heart. remember, don't just focus on the fact. focus on the whole person. yourself as a whole person. >> used to be you had to go to a gym to find the encouragement. you also remind people you can online to get encouragement and find partners. >> it's great. because there's so many online training services i have one myself. and it's amazing. because it is affordable. you get a personal training right there in your home. and you get help with your diet. so get an online training service. at deals with the food aspects, as well as the personal training. >> the computer and the tv can work against you, though. eating in front of the tv. >> unless you're doing a workout dvd you need to really not focus on fitness or diet in front of that tv. because, studies show that you can eat triple the amount of food in front of the television than you would at the dinner table. that's a big, substantial change. >> i want to ask you about circuit aining. i hear that term and i know you're a big promoter ofit. what does that really mean? >> that's how i train. i train power circuit train. this is a combination of

exercises in one set with n rest or little rest in tween. you're working upper body, lower body and doing it at a very fast pa. that's what you want. >> i know being on the treadll for 30, 40 minutes gets -- >> you don't like that, lester? >> no. >> everybody loves that. let's go for an hour. no, i actually a a proponent of doing a 20inute que, high intensity interval training workout on that treadmill. go high intensity, and that's key, because a lot of us think, if we are on that treadmill for a long time, at a moderate pace we lose weight. you want us to really, really push hard. >> right. what i say is ramp up to 15, and do a fast walk, which also gets the glutes and the hamstring working. and then, for two minutes, and then two minutes go to fast runs, and then one minute cooldown, repeat that cycle three more times, which equals 20 minutes. so that's high intensity. so you're going from sprinting to a walk uphill, sprinting, to a walk uphill. much more effective tn doing even an hour of just a jog on a treadmill. >> you're a healthy example of all this.

thanks for coming on with the important tips. >> thank you. >> have a great holiday. >> thank y so much. >> jackie warner. up next the mic man is making women swoon worldwide after these messages. dad. did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes christmas? wow! 19 ds, 8 hours... [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. 12 days, 18 hours... 10 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds. come on. it's no days!

5 hours and 59 minutes and 42...41. [ fele announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. ...7...6... this christmas, ke it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store. of gourmet coffee and tea to choose om. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. [ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my chosterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kiddi myself. i've been eating healter, exercising more... and now i'm also taking lipitor.

if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. along with diet, lipitor habeen shown to lower bad cholestol 39% to 60%. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitois not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you he any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's goboy, go! whoo-we! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to youdoctor about your risknd about lipitor. the biggest moneymaker in music is year included youtube, bruce springsteen and madonna. but another superstar, who ranked sixth on the list, is dutch conductor andre rieu. while you may not know his name, he is selling out concerts

around the world and he's now hoping to takemerica by stor ♪ andre rieu leads a 55-piece orchestra through a night of strauss and bach. but there are also dancing in the aisles. "t wall street journal" dubbed him a maestro for the masses. ♪ the 61-year-old violinist grew up the son of a classical music condtor. but never liked the stuffy atmosphere. >> i thought as a little boy all these audience, the whole concert, like don't breathe, don't move. >> reporter: so rieu turned all the don'ts, to dos. >> when you start to play the first note of the song, everybody jumps out their seat. ♪ >> reporte but beneath all the pageany the maestro says it's really about the music. >> music is the most -- if it'

not emotion, what is it? >> reporter: so before the seats are filled the conductor takes his musicians before their paces. ♪ rieu is a perfectionist, making laps on his segway scooter to adjust the sound from every angle. >> andre is somebody that is very precise. he likes to have things done yesterday, not tomorrow. so he's very impatient. he knows that. >> reporter: but he also encourages playfulness. drummers warm up on trash cans tenors in the men's room. and how about dueling trombones? that energy carrs over to the stage. ♪ >> andre rieu plays music, plays with the audience, and he plays with the orchestra. and it looks like a bunch of children having fun onstage. >> reporter: rieu is not without

his critics who say his stus do a disservice to the genre. >> they see me as a traitor, i think, because the classical music belongs to a certain elite. you know. >> reporter: his fan base is mostly a 60 and older crowd. he's especially popular with the ladies. >> oh, he's adorable. he's really adorable >> reporter: the dutch maestro drew 8,000 fans here in fort lauderdale. but what he really wants is to become a household name here in the u.s. >> i extremely like the audience in the u.s. and i don't bet it's because you are americans, but it's true, they are very open, very open, and very hungry. >> reporter: this night's crowd, hungry enough for seven encores. >> we have nothing to do tomorrow! ♪

>> yay! >> and you can see he's a really colorful guy and he's a lot of fun to watch. andre rieu has had all the success in australia, and europe. he grossed$96 million last year on tour. but obviously, the big question is will it take off in america? >> looks like a big party onstag >> it's fun, right? and in the crowd, too. dancing in the aisles. you like that. we're back, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," has the mystery of amelia earhart been solved? the evidence that may reveal what happened. we'll have the story. plus, how princess diana is helping shape the wedding of prince william and kate middleton. but first, these messages.n: he' phone... it's really different. it's got this start screen that lets me do stuff faster andasier. see? it even has bing right here

so... the second my flight gets cancelled, i can quickly find the nearest... airport hotel. i'm in, i'm out, and i'm done. so now i can actually look up and make sure i get off this thing. buy any windows phone and get a second one free. so get your holiday on at at&t. [ pony ] she had a fever yesterday. [ elephant ] well, her pediatrician recommended new triaminic fever reducer syrup. [ dog ] so she'll fe better! [ female announcer ] with the #1 docr recommended ingredient to help bring down children's fever... trust in triaminic.

no wondereople go out of their way to share them. [ sneezes ] go to kleenex.com for more fun ways to share. kleenex tissues. softness worth sharing. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions

i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offereds a specially trained rn whhelped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's healtin numbers. unitedhealthcare.

welcome back to "news4 today". it's 7:56 on this saturday, december 18, 2010. i'm aaron gchrist. in the "news4 today", metro train riders may have delays up 230 minutes this weekend because of track work. delays stretch between slver spring and wheaton stations on the red line. on t orange line crews are working between vienna, fairfax and west falls church stations. on the bl line repairs are between stadium armory and seat pleasant stations. riders on blue line between braddock and van dorn will be delayed because of the wilson bridge project. metro has started security

upgrades at bus stops and train stations. they are randomly selecting riders and searching their bags. it is part of an anti-terrorism efforts. your weather forecast is coming up next. stay with u once a year ♪

♪ on winters wings, decembers rear, ahha humbug faces come and dear ♪ ♪ then appears at perfect christmas me. ♪ ♪ a tiny tree, christmas, tinsel, the lights♪ ♪ the star that sings, top your tiny tree, yeah ♪

welcome back. chuck, we're wait forge the sun to get to work. >> we i have to wait for a long time. the clouds will win the race. any sunshi you get on this saturday will be here in the next hour sore. even then we don't see much in the way of sunshine. clouds on the increase for today. temperatures really dropped overnight into the teens and 20s and thanks to the increasing clouds this morning temperatures will struggle to get back up into the low to mid-30s. light snow showers in far western virginia. can't rule out a passing swflake or snow shower. not looking for any accumulation today and tomorrowstuck in the 30s. plenty of cold weather but good for shopping.

>> we are ectly one week away from chstmas now. coming up in our 9:00 hour how to make last minute shopping stress free. for now back to new york and for more of "the today show". ♪ have a holly jolly christmas >> it's 8:00 on this saturday morning. the 18th day of december, 2010. the holiday spirit is in full swing this morningut on the plaza. we've got another terrific crowd here. a big one. spending par of the thr day with us. >> nothing says christmas like brrr. >> all right. we have lester holt and coming up this half hour it's a story that's making tional headlines. the grim sleeper. >> he's been linked to several murders. now investigators fear his list of victims cou be far longer than anyone imagined. we'll get the latest on that story just ahead. >> also, one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries.

whatever happened to amelia earhart. the legendary aerator vanished back in 1937. and now nearly 80 years later new dna tests may finally give us t answer to actually what happened. we'll have tt story comin up. >> then have you heard there's a big wedding in the uk? >> maybe something about that. >> we're going to have another look at princess diana's influence on the uoming royal wedding. kate is wearing her ring. elton john might perform. diana's brother earl spencer may also offer a toast. some are calling it the diana efct. but will kate be burdened by comparisons to diana? we're going to explore that live when we go to buckingham palace in a bit. >>e're going to get to all of that. but first let's get anoer check of the head lines from norah o'donnell standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. the busiest travel week of the year is here. thousands wi be using planes, trains and automobiles to get home for the holidays. nbc's kevin tibbles is inhe thick it at o'hare airport this morning. good morning, kevin. >> reporter: i can't get over how many people are here this early in the day. so clearly, it is going to be a

busy week. i also haven't seen so much luggage, carry-on and checked, in a long time. there are a lot of presents that are going to be flying over the ited states ofamerica. and they're not going to be just the ones that are going to be delivered by santa claus. air travel up about 2.8% this christmas. car travel, 3% and spending is also up. so it's an indication that perhaps the traveling public, and the middle-class america is starting to get out there and spend some more of their money. that's obvisly going to be good news for the economy. just keep an eye on the weather, especiallyor those of you in the northeast of the country, becausthere are storms brewing out there, and everybody wants to get home in time for this time next week, nora. >> and we wish everyone safe travels. nbc's kevin tibbles. thanks so much. some of bernie madoff's victims may be getting their money back. the estate of one of the biggest investors who was swindled by maff has agreed to turn over $7.2 billion to the victims' fund. the investor, jeffrey pickawer died in 2009.

his widow said the settlement honors what her husband would have wanted. scientists are hoping to get dna from three bone fragments found on a deserted south pacific island to see if they belong to amelia earhart. researchers found the bits of bone earlier this year, and if they match, the famed aviator's a it could help answer once and for all how she died. remember, earhart disappeared in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. and finally coming home from vacation is never easy. but imagine if while you were out oftown, alizzard fell inside, yeah, inside your house. that's what happened to an iowa couple. a relative who went to check on the farmhouse while ty were away find the side door blown open, and so mother nature did its thing inside. yuck, everywhere, closets, cupboards, you name it. fortunately they claim that the damage was only minor. but that doesn't look so good to me. that's the news. now back to lester. i'm sure you wouldn't want that

to happen in your place. >> wait for thepring thaw. all right, norah, thanks very much. bill karins has another check of the weather. bill? >> well, good morning, everyone. a beautiful time of year, people get creative. look at this. this is autumn on the left. all these peoplerom arkansas here. razorback fans, of course. i like this the real house wives of syracuse, good morning.

i'm news 4 meteorologist chuck bell. outside of our windows here in washington this morning we have increasing numbers much clouds, just a little bit of sunshine left for a few lucky folks early in the day but a mostly cloudy afternoon today. temperatures really tumbled overnight into the teens and 20s. that's where we are now first thing this morning. a little bit of light snow down across far southwestern virginia. most of that is evaporating before it reaches the ground but i couldn't say it wouldn't be a possibility to see snowflake or two. temperatures will struggle to get n in los angeles, police have released nearly 200 photographs found at the home of a suspeed serial killer. the pictures are of women, and the authorities want to know if any of them were victims of the so-called grim sleeper. nbc's kristen welker reports. >> reporter: the images seem never-ending. pictures of 180 nameless women, each face a mystery. police say they all have one thing in common, a connection to suspected serial killer lonny

franin, dubbed the grim sleeper. >> these people are not suspects. we don't eve know if they're victims. >> reporter: 57-year-old franklin, an ex-auto mechanic, charged with killing ten women, edominantly working-class african-americans. detectives say he started his spree in 1985. killing seven people in his south los angeles neighborhood, and then more than 15 years later, he came back. the case was dubbed the gri sleeper for the apparent time gap in the kling spree. franklin was arrested in 2010, when advanced dna testing linked himo the crime. police say these pictures suggest there may be more victims. >> i just think it's absurd to think that he just stopped one day and then started up another y 14, 13 years later. >> reporter: according to investigators, these photos were found inside franklin's home, taken from undeveloped film and videotapes. police say some of these photos may be 20 to 30 years old. now, they're on the front page. hundreds of phone calls have

poured into the los angeles police department. people who recognize missing loved ones. latonya clarkays picture number 118 is her sier, last seen in 2005. >> i just want answers because it's been five years and i've been getting the runaround for five yrs. >> reporter: many community leaders he expressed frustration with authorities for their seemingly slow responsto solving the killings. >> we would have seen a much more aggressive investigation on behalf of the law enforcement community had these been upper midd-class, white women. >> reporter: police believe they have their kler behind bars. >> there are over hundreds of investigators that participated in this over 25 years, trying to bring justice for these victims. >> reporter: they're hoping these photos will shed some light on how many victims franklin had. womewho may be unidentified, but who are not forgotten. for "today," kristen welker, nbc news, los angeles. >> and for me insight we're

joined by criminologist casey jordan. >> good morning. >> this really is a grim story. 180 photos. what are police hoping to gain by releasing these photos? and what are their chances of actually getting some real information? >> well they're releasing 180 over 1,000 tt they found. they have depictions of at least 100 women. this is a very controversial and brave thing for them to do. they understand that there are women in these photos who are alive. in fact four or five ofhem have already called and said, yes, that's me in the photo. which is good news. but it does raise the question, how many of the women are not going to be idtified as you just mentied the sister of one of the women in the photos has already said her sister hasn't been seen for five years. so some of these photos could be victims we don't even know about. >> how dficult will it be for police to connect the dots? some of those photos, some of these cases are three decades old. >> they're doing a number of really excellent things. nine out of the 12 deaths that they do relate to lonny franklin are connected with a gun. the same .25 caliber pistol.

so 9 out of 12 through through ballistics. and 6 out of the 12 linked specifically with dna, with a lot of crossover betwe those cases. if they can identify more potentially missing people, they may be able to take unsolved crimes, bodies that have never been identified, and bring them in through dna analysis, as well. >> right. because obviously he's been dubbed the grim sleeper. but it is an odd pattern, would you say, to not kill anyone for 15 yes. we've got his pattern that police know of. they believe he killed women between 85 and '88. and then, didn't resume back until 2002, up through the current day. >> well, that's the difference here. number one, he may have been killing in that time period. but that's also about the time he went on disability, and left his job as a sanitation worker. he may have been physically unable to actually carry out his killings and get away with it. keep in mind he also quit, supposedly, after the last victim survived. got away. gave a description of him to police. maybe thatlarmed him so much he decided to lay low.

and in the end, he couldn't resist going back to his old pattern. >> we should mention lonnie david franklin pleaded not guilty to these crimes. is this dna match all police truly need to get a conviction? what else will they be looking for in getting their case together against him? >> puttinghe pattern together, having that eyewitness, that sole survivor who was shot but didn't die, i have to say, though, it's the jury that will convict. not the his. and they love dna technology. and this dna technology is probably what's going to get him convicted in the end. >> i know that we mentioned obviously these photos. police have been going through all this stuff. but everything in his apartment. what else are they hoping to find? >> well the videotapes and the photos are the number one thing. but they're also going to look at anythingelse. anything that could be considered a souvenir for a memento. keep in mind, a lot of these women were photographed. apparently inside a van. he would pull them into a van, probably offer them money or drugs or some other inducement to pose for these photos. but clearly, he didn't kill all of them. so the real question is going to

be, finding out what things in his house are related to actual victims. and people who are out there living tir lives. >> all right. casey jorn thanks so much. we appreciate it. and we're back right after these messages. [children screaming] [growl] i met my husband here. i got to know my grandkids here. we've discovered so much here together. but my doctor told me that during that time my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol... with crestor. along with diet, crestor does more than help manage cholesterol, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough. crestor is also proven to slow plaque buildup in arteries. cresr is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems.

tell your doctor about other dicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. ask yo doctor if crestor is right for you. i love it when we' here together. if you can'afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. wow! ♪ they're from my garden club, up north. [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. well, there's the snow you wanted. yep! look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. son: h mom! wife: what areou doing? what is that? what is this? guy: it's a special paste i invented to replace socks. we're dipping our feet in it.

wife: why? guy: because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! son: sick of it! wife: that's really stupid. guy: that's the future. announcer: hanes makes better-fitting socks the whole family will love. guaranteed, or your money back. ♪ [ grandma ] okay. ♪ ah. then we will all do it together. treats. teets...teets...teets... yeah. look at this. [ female announcer ] it seems like the best family traditions always start in the kitchen. ♪ rice krispies®. happy holidays. now to the marriage of prince william and kate middleton. shaping up to be one of the biest events of the new year.

as we await the wedding it's clear that diana's spirit will be felt on that special day. jenny winle is live outside buckingham palace r us. good morning. >> good morning, lester. when you look at both princes william and harry it's clear how much of an inspiration diana, their mother, has been to them. prince harry said as much to a german newspaper in an interview that was published this morning. he also said how delighted he is that his brother is finally marrying kate middleton, because, he says, he's always wanted a sister. diana was the queen of hearts. the people's princess. and the woman who gave the british monarchy a modern touch. the princess of wales was also william's mother and years after her death, her guiding hand remains in his life. it's her sapphire engagement ring nown kate middleton's finger. ander favorite photographer chosen for the official engagement pictures. >> obviously she's not going to be around to share i the fun and excitement. but this is my way of keeping

her close. >> reporter: diana was the most publicly adored of all the royals. but barely 20 when she felt into a loveless marriage with prince charles. she struggled to adjust to life in the firm. kate's introduction to the house of windsor has been very different. >> i have been waiting as long as i want to give her a chance to see and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. because, i'm trying to learn some lessons from the past. and i just wanted to give her the best shot of settling innd see what, you know, what happens. >> reporter: diana passed on her love of charitable work to her children. introducing william to a homeless shelter. last winter he slept rough on london's freezing streets to highlight its rk. the charity's chief executive says the prince's hands-on approach is something he got from diana. >> the idea that you can get the heir to the throne to go out and sleep on the street, right, in the middle of winter, and endure all of that, that fell out of

princess diana. >> reporter: as the most otographed woman in the world, diana took advantage of her position to highlight her charitable work. but her image was so valuable she was always at the top of the paparazzi hit list. >> i thinkwilliam's overprotection at times with kate is an absolute direct result of what he regarded as the hounding of his mother by the paparai. >> reporter: while a truce negotiated with the tabloids to save kate from the same treatment is holding, there's stl an insatiable appetite for pictures of the woman who will one day be queen. inevitably, kate is going to be compar to diana, much like william and harry are likened to her, as well. we are, of course, fascinated by kate. but we're fascinated by william, too, and one thing that i think really does stand out about william how he also has that ability to put people at ease, something he's clearly inherited from his mother. and it's tt trait that won her the unofficial title the people's princess.

lester? >> jenny in london with that postcard picture behind you. thanks vermuch. joining us now for more on the diana eect is "people" magazine's suzanne zuckerman. good morning. it's great to see you. >> thank you. >> obviously the engagement ring is the obvious effect of the diana effect, if you will. but talk about the training that kate is going through. is it similar to what diana went through? >> you know what, it is quite different, lester. it's been reported that dia had ver little guidance when at age 19 she was thrust into the global spot light. ka, on the oth hand, is getting help and being shown the ropes by senior members of the royal family. it's been reported even camilla parker bowles herself is helping to gom her. >> she had a big luncheon, a 40-person lunch with membersf the royal family, pre-christmas lunch the other day. what -- how is that going? how is this now, now that she's ofcially engaged, this indoctrination? i mean that's too harshf a word. >> she has been in the presence of the qen before, but never in this kind of way. she met all 40 members of the

royal family at buckingham palace. royals experts say it had to be an extremelyaunting ordeal. and yet we've seen these pictures of her emerging from that 2 1/2-hour lunch, beaming. grinning ear to ear. which can only speak to how successf she must have been. >> i'm wondering, you know, is this -- obviouy she's not the typical bride. but how much of this is not in her hands? typically a bride is makingll the big choices about her wedding. when you're marrying into the royal family, things are different, right? >> it's surprising, actually, the palace says that william and kate are very much in control of their wedding arrangements. acrding to the palace, they are calling all the shots. so they really do seem to be taking a hands-on approach to this massive, massive affair. >> there's been a lot of speculation of a photographer and whether there would be others involved who were princess diana's favorites. what do we know about that? >> well, there is a lot of specific tags that this british designer named bruce oldfield will be the one to design kate's wedding gown. on the other hand people are saying she'll want to distinguish her own sense of

style as she has already. she's already wearing diana's ring. it may be unlikely that she chooses a designer who worked so closely with princess diana. >> we've also heard charles spencer might give a toast. elton john may perform. any truth to that? >> elton did say that he'll probably be at westminster abbey for the wedding, even if that means he has to be outside. but the guest list has not been releas and as the palace says, invitations haven't gone out. >> a moment ago this couple is taking more control. might they go a whole different direction and do something less formal? >> well, it will still be formal. it is a royal wedding. i think it will be more understated. theye looking to charles and diana's wedding but also to queen elizabeth and prince philip's post-war wedding in 1947. they've noted that they are paying for the weddi themselves. ey're sensitive to the economic situation. and they don't want to go over the top in a way that will sert of offend the british people. >> we'll all watch it unfold together. suzanne zuckman, nice to have you here. >> thanks so much.

>> we're back in a moment. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] safeway talks gift ideas. music makes a great gift. i like rock, hip-hop, country... and you are telling me this, why? i...uh...thght you might be my secret santa? no. i'm giving for skunk. uh, i can hear you. no. not you. the other skunk. [ female announcer ] safeway is the place to stocup on itunes gift cards.

right now, save6 on a $40 4-pack. keep 'em on hand. only at safeway. inedients for life.

still to come on "today," the case against casey anthony. >> new files and pictures connected to the murder trial have just been released. we'll have them f you coming up. but first, these messages. - i wanted to get cindy something special this year. - you went to kay. she'll love it. [chuckles] trust me. i know. ho-ho-ho-ho-. - introducing charmed memories, a new collection at kay jewelers. each design is hand-crafted in italy, and because u choose the charms, the possibilities are endless. create your own memories with charmed memories, one more reason kay ishe number one jewelry store in america. - i love it. - santa said you would no, really. okay, now he's our holiday gift list.

aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. ll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priorityail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.90 only fromhe postal service. a simpler way to ship. at walmart's toys and more event! with black friday prices the gifts they want most. like a nintendo wii for $199 with a $75 walmart gift card. and a playstation 3 for $299 with a $100 gift card. that's stting 9 p.m. this friday at walmart.

wow! ♪ they're from my garden club, up north. [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. well, thers the snow you wanted. [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

it's 8:26 right n. good morning i'm kimberly suiters. topping your news for today, date. donovan mcnabb will watch the rest of the redskin season from the sideline. the veteran quarterback has been benched for the rest the year. skins head coach mike shanahan said because the skins have been eliminated from the playoffs he nts to evaluate the whole team including rex grossman in the starring role. he said he could not guarantee that mcnabb would be in washington next season. the club dc9 is back open after being closed for two months after a man of beaten to death outside. five of the club's employees were original charged with the death of the man but those

arges were dropped. the ethiopian community has been vocal about what they feel is injustice in the case. maryland authorities have raided the homes of a political consultant over a robocall controversy. maryland's attorney general has reportedly filed a civil lawsuit against julius henson. he was on the payroll of bob ehrlich's gubernatorial campaign when job calls were sent outn election day targeting mocratic voters and encouraged them to stay home. henson has already accepted responsibility. your chillyeather forecast is coming up next. ll we [ mom ] my son only waed one toy this year.

i want a robosan 4000. [ mom ] the one no one could get. toy stores are reporting long lines and empty shelves. a robosan 4000. [ mom ] and i mean no one. so i did most of my holiday shopping on citi specials. with the money i saved, i bid online -and got exactly what he wanted. -a robosan 4000!

[ television ] introducing the new robosan 5000. [ mom ] at least for now. [ male announcer ] make your happy holidastories come true with citi specials. what's your story? citi can help you write it. if you're a snow lover you want to hear from meteorologist chuck bell. >> we have plenty of clouds, plenty of cold air, a small chce for at least a few snowflakes today, tonight and tomorrow. nothing in the way of accumulation, but nonetheless any time you get a snowflake or two people get excited. mid-teens across much much virginia. mid-20s around town. mid-20s alongside the bay. there are a few snowflakes trying to make their way into the area. most not reaching the ground. can't rule out a passing snowflake. temperares will stay fairly above the freezing mark day and tomorrow. we'll have a full hour of news and weather and sports at

the top of the hour with "news4 today". that's coming up at 9:00. but for now it's back to new york and "the today show". we'll see you in ♪ sleigh bel ring are you listening ♪ >> and we're back on this saturday morning. december 18th, 2010. we're just one week away from christmas. eryone here out on the plaza is in the holiday spirit. we're all bundled up. thank everyone for spending part of their morning with us. i'm amy robach alg with lester holt. coming up this half hour -- >> you had mentioned that we'll explain why we're in front of a truck there a moment. >> we're going to be talking about casey anthony. she's come back u in the news. >> stunning new details this morning. prosecutors have released new documents, pictures and jailhouse tters. we'll tell you what's in them. >> and if you're looking for the perfect gift in this holiday season, why not try a book?

this morning we've got the best tabletop books and t best reads for the holiday season. you can curl upy the fire and have a nice read. >> then look who's cooking in the kitchen this morning. the food network's sunny anderson. we like her food and we like her name. some delicious holiday desserts that you can sink your teeth into. >> and now the explanation. first it's nhl on nbc. shenden shanahan from the nhl is here to tell us all about the 2011 winter classic new year's day game. brendan, obviously hockey is a staple in the wintertime. why is this hockey game different from all the others? >> well, i mean, specifically because we play it outdoors. we bring the game back to its roots. it's how a lot of us grew up playing the game. but never did we ever think we'd be able to play a real game worth two points in the nhl in front of over 70,000 fans in a football stadium. >> you're in pittsburgh this year. you played your career all indoors. but as you know, a lot of kids stard outside. what is different for a player when you're in a stadium outside, how does the game

change? >> well, it changes just in that, number one, 70,000 people. you're outside. you're dealing with the wind. you're dealing with all these conditions that, the sound is different, the feel is different. all these conditions we're not used to. we're in this perfect environment and all of a sudden we're dealing with the wind, the cold. you definitely feel it. there wi be two really exciting rivals playing in the game. these two teams are great teams. they don't like each other very much and i think they're going to do something special that day. >> what does it take t pull this all together, though? this is quite a feat? >> it's a collective effort. it really is. it's just something that the players and the league are so excited about. li i said for the other 28 teams that aren't playing they'll be watching the game. >> and this truck, too. this truck is involved in making the ice. >> it's a magic truck. >> the magic truck keepshe field cold. thanks so much for being here. enjoy the game. >> thank you. >> and we've got another check of the weather now from bill. >> i'll tell you what, the inaugu

good morning. i'm news 4 meteorologist chuck bell. it's a cloudy and cold start here in the nation's capital. we continue toatch temperatures only inching their way back up towards the freezing mark. nobody has made it yet. 25downtown. 26 in baltimore. 23 inannapolis. a lot of teens across northern virginia. snowflakes are a possibility but

not a likelihood today. most of that no quite raching the ground. cloudy and cold today with a passing snowflake. temperatures in the 30s all weekend. hopefully everything will be nice for everyone's weekend. and in case you need something to do, sunday night. at first it looked like it was going to be anow event. it looks like it's going to be cold, partly cloudy. maybe aaron rodgers will play. maybe he won't. i'm sure tom brady will show up. possibly, nbc. who knows. back to you, amy. >> all right, bill, thank you. now to the new developments involving casey anthony. the florida mom says she did not murder her daughter caylee but prosecutors are convinced she did and they have released new details to help prove it. kerry sanders joins us from orlando, florida, with the very latest. good morning, kerry. >> reporter: good morning. there are some new letters, they are fascinating to read. and just as interesting is the time line here, amy, when you consider that the attempt, or the effort to bring casey

anthony to trial has now gone on longer thaner 2-year-old caylee w alive. prosecutors, and investigators, have produced more than 24,000 documents in this case. as for casey anony, who's held in the jail here in orlando, she's now been determined to be indigent, which means the cost of her defense are on taxpers' backs at $55,000 so far. for the last 26 months, casey's life has consisted of back and forth trips to court, otherwise she spends 23 hours every day in a solitary cell. one hour a d she's allowed out to exercise. and as newly released evidence reveals, she spent much of her time iting. in letters, casey writes, i was a great mom, and i loved my daughter with everything that i have. i would give my life to have her back, even for five minutes. the letters are highly personal. casey reveals, a year after caylee was born, she had a miscarriage. and she talks about being a

single mother. my situation, with living at home with cay and my folks, staying home all day and going out at night looking for mr. ght, i don't know one single mom who doesn't try to get their freedom, regardless of how old they are. it took 31 days befe casey revealed under pressure by her mother that caylee was missing. photos later revealed at the same time casey was out partying. her daughter's remains were discovered six months later in the woods near her house. casey maintains she's innocent. and talks of having a family again. i always wanted to adopt a baby or a child from another countr is it selfish to want one from ireland? accent and all? at one time casey anthony had a defense dream team. but one by e, those high-profile lawyers have dropped out. casey is now represented by four florida attorneys. including ann finnell who is knew to the case. she was profiled in an academy award winning documentary about

murder. casey anthony is expected to be back in court on monday. where her defense and the prosecutors will talk about and discuss with the judge how they'll handle the penalty phase in this case if she's convicted. prosecutors are asking for the death penalty. the trial is set for may. amy? >> and kerry, you mentioned that $55,000 price tag. so far. how ch more, then, could this cost florida taxpayers? >> the judge in this case is watching very closely every penny that is spent ande has denied some of the expenses the defense is trying to buiill to e state. but under the constitution she is afforded because she's an indigent, she's afforded a proper defense at taxpayer cost. so there's no bottom line on how much money will be spent at the end of the day here. >>ll right. kerry sanders, thanks so much. and we'll be right back. but first, these messages. ♪ crayons and play-doh

♪ the latest dvd's ♪ lip gloss, gift cards, candy, shampoo ♪ ♪ anything for me? ♪ oh, stocking stuffers from walgreens ♪ ♪ you'll be glad you came ♪ get hershey's kisses chocolates ♪ ♪ i a great big candy cane [ female announcer ] stuff all your stockings in one easy trip to walgreens and get $5 in walgreens super jingle cash with every $25 you spend. good for anything in the store. [ female announcer ] stay jolly with walgreens. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] got a cold? [ coughs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] confused what to get? now robitussin makes it simple. click on the robitussin relief inder at robitussin.com. [ nose blowing ] [ male announcer ] click on your symptoms. ♪

get the right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. the robitussin relief finder it's that simple.

this morning on "today's" holiday gift guide, books. whether for kids, family, friends or yourself,ooks always make a wonderful gif duri the holidays. they cover just about everything as our favorite book critic found out. >> do you like gettingooks as gifts on the holidays? >> oh, i love getting books. >> what books are you looking for? >> i wouldn't mind getting keith richards new autobiography. also the mark twain bkhat just came out. two opposites. >> why do you like giving books as opposed to some other kind of gift? >> not to sound -- but it's a great way to get people to force to read a book. >> i gave this one to my niece. charlie brown christmas doesn't get any more classic. spider-man holiday books. exciting during the holidays. the night before christmas. a classic. >> my fily loves books, so we always shop for books. >> you do like getting books as gifts for the holidays? >> yeah. >> yeah.

>> and john,uthor of the best-seller's strange but true, and boy still missing, is here with some of the hottest holiday books out there. good morning, great to have you here. >> and the hottest holiday sweater. >> you should have told me. i would have worn my holiday sweater. but i don't have one. >> smart guy. >> you've gotome great books here. we're going t start off if you like freak nomics you're going to look this one. >> it was a runaway sensation a few years ago. this is an illustrated version that has charts and photos that bring the freaky,ascinating statistics to life. one photo is of an experiment that these argentinean scientists did on a cow trying to trap methane gas from the cow. weird stuff like that it's a fun, kind of interesting book. >> the next book, you know i don't even have to open it, it's a picturef jon stewart and a chimpanzee >> fans of "the daily show" will lo this. it's called earth and treated like a true visitor's guide for anyone arriving on the planet for the first time.

teaches the five sensesy using mr. potato head. >> how do you explain us. let's move on, this next book, i don't even know whether i'm supposed to take seriously. called crafts for poor people. >> i wouldn't take it seriously. the subtitle is simple crafts for poor people, a she has things like how to craft well under the influence. where you can make cast annettes. and how to make fly paper, how to decorate fly paper. >> but there are true instructional things in here. >> true instructions. and this is fun, silly stf. >> it's been interesting to watch how one tv show, "mad men" has influenced fashion and style in this country. and someone's captured it in a bo called fashion files. >> the thing that women particularly love most about the show besides jon hamm is the clothing. this is a book by the woman's design called the looks for the show. but it's really not -- there are some photos of the show butt's also advice and tips from her

about how to have a more fashion forward life. also advice for men and clothing, too. >> never seen jon hamm in a sweater like that. cookbooks, what do you like? >> ina garden, i'm a big fan of hers. th is her first collection of all three of her books. barefoot contessa, a party book and a family style cookbook. what's great about her recipes is they're really accessible, but they're just challenging enough. you feel like you're actually accomplishing something if you make them. also her food is really rich but i guess we're not paying too much attention to calories for a couple more weeks. >> not in december. and then cleopatra. >> there have been others but this woman was a prize winning author and turned her talents to one of the most famous wom who ever lived. she writes about her love wh marc anthony and julius caesar and tells her life story in a way that's reading the most riveting fiction out there. it's getting a ton of buzz. >> stocking stuffers here at the

end. >> adriana trigiani, one of america's favorite authors, she has "don't sing at the table." and how to deal with your in-laws in there. which is perfect advice for the holidays. and the importance of getting a good breakfast, all good grandmother advice. >> and lastly book that's going to make you go ah. >> a book of cute, you know, baby animals. you can't go wrong with that. >> john, great to have you here. >> good to s you. >> up next, dessert delights from sunny anderson. first this is "today" on nbc.

these this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen, just desserts. we're talking about treats that will be the toast of your holiday party. with us is sunny anderson. host of the food network's "rooking for real." dessert first. i'm all about it.

>> that's how i like to order. that's how i like to dream. that's how i like to live. that's what i do. >> and you do it well. baklava. that's wt we're going to start with? >> i love baklava. but it's a lot of work of layering and honey, it's sticky. this is really easy to do for the holiys. always beautiful presentation. i've got almonds, walnuts, pistachios. i posted them for 350 for about eight minutes or so and leave the oven at 350 because we're going to take the little cups i a second. got some already toasted right here. >> butter? >> yep, a little melted butter, couple of tablespoons and a few tablespoons of suga some vanilla goes in and then i've got some cinnamon, a little bit of the salt, and my lemon zest. >> okay. >> because i'm going to add a nice note to it. go ahead and start pulverizing like crazy. >> that's right. >> so basically you pulverize this until it los like this. kind of like grape-nuts cereal, right? >> yeah, it does. >> and these little tart cups.

i love these. >> can you make these? >> i did not. they're little mini phyllo cups. >> you prebake those first and then put this concoction in there? actually, these come right out of the container just like this. >> seriously? >> you don't he to prebake them. >> i like that. >> it's the holiday. with the turkey and the ham, dessert, even though we're thinking about it first, not a lot of work. >> it's good. >> so anyway you go ahead and you put little scoops right in here of your pulverized filling of your bk lava cups and pop this into the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 so the butter and everything melts together. it comes out and looks like this and i've got a syrup. this ishat eryone knows about baklava, it's sticky, sweet and yummy. it's honey, sugar andater and you ladle it right over the top. very easy. >> i like that. >> it's super simple. i'm not trying to preinvent the wheel, just trying t make it

work without squeaking. you know what i mean? >> yummy. >> so you go ahead -- >> and then they' ready to serve? >> you could eat it right now. t i have to show a little bit of constraint. >> we've got a lot to get to. >> i put itn the fridge for about five hours. that allow all the stickiness -- >> we're going to move to hazel nut pumpkin pie. >> a bird told me you like cheese cake and pumpkin cheese cake pie. >> you remeer. >> i do. i love a person who loves to eat. what i have here is my hazel nut pumpkin pie. just like a typicalumpkin pie with a brick of cheese, i call it a brick. cheap crease. then a 15 ounce can of the pumpkin puree. your usual suspects what makes this difference is hazel nut creamer that you usually put in your coffee. you're putting it in the actual batter and you're putting it in the crust that you make. >> hey! >> how are you? >> this is by far -- >> didn't know youere doing

deerts here. i was just walking by. >> yeah, right. >> happy holidays. >> oh. >> right? >> creamy, smooth. >> you want some whipped cream? >>ream chse. we give you a dollop. >> a dollop? >> yeah, hook him up. then we've got the red velvet which is also -- >> this is my grandma's just called to say, you know, and so grandma, happy holidays. and i don't do it in a circle because if i did, it would look like hers but not quite like hers. >> what's the frosting on this? >> one thing you don't see people do with a cream cheese frosting. grandma does an old-fashioned roux topping on the stove top, milk, sugar, flour, and a little pinch of -- >> i don't understand. i'm not following what you're saying. >> there you go. a little research. >> there you go. and a little something to wash it all down with. >> these are all availal at odnetwork.com. you can have the recipes, as well.

it's not just about eating dessert. you've got to wash it down. this is what i like to call hot toddy big brother. it is a hot, buttered rum. it will cheer the hot and cold. it's got rum in it, of course. butter, some brown sugar. pineapple juice. some pumpkin spice. >> wow. >> you ke? >> it's so good. >> that's good. >> that's amazing. >> you like it? it's perfect for watching the game, too, on christmas day. you know, going to get on the couch and cozy up. >> i like it. thank you souch. >> we'll be right back. but first these messages.

if you live for performance, upgrade to castroldge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. ["stir it up" playing]

stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. [ pony ] she had a fever yesterday. [ elephant ] well, her pediatrician recommended new triaminic fever reducer syrup. [ dog ] so she'll feel better! [ female announcer ] with the #1 doctor recommended ingredient to help bring down children's fever... trust in triaminic. ♪ it's that chocolate ♪ it's that whipped cream ♪ it's that caramel, and esprso you mix in ♪ [ male announcer ] your two favorite flavors together. new mccafé caramel mocha. ♪

at's going to do it for us on this saturday morning. norah o'donnell, bill karins, and of course sunny anderson. thanksery much. tomorrow on "today," last-minute gift ide for the holidays. >> i have almost caned my plate here. >> what? >> this cake is killing me. i'll see you back here tonight for "nbc nightly news." have a great day, everybody.

good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. >> i'm gill. straight ahead, donon mcnabb benched for the year. we'll have more on how the redskin fans are reacting. >> a rare saturday senate session and hstoric vote that could end the military's don't-ask, don't-tell policy. the last weekend of shopping before christmas. what's it like in area malls. i'm derrick ward and have details coming up on news 4. >> plenty of cold air in place for much of your weekend and some cloud cover too. all the details your weekend forecast are coming up. >> could it be cloud cover bringing snow. all that and more when you join "news4 today" in less than two

minutes.

forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't fused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their filies. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirementuide. call 877-242-usaa.

i made a decision that i was going start rex grossman. >> just like that, donovan mcnabb benched. his season with the redskins is over and the same may be true about his career with the about your gunnedy and gold. good morning, i'm kimberly suiters. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. it's saturday, december 18, 2010. first a quick check on your forecast. meteorologist chuck bell is we're us this morning and we've been waiting for the sun to warm things up a little bit. >> it's a long wait. going to be a long wait today. what ttle sunshine we're going to get today is bsically already out there so it's as bright and pretty as it's going to look for the remainder of the day. ur city camera shot, you can tell that's the clouds are